Tomatin 1975 Douglas Laing Red Wine Finish

Sitting watching the who perform at glastonbury, it is amazing to think that they were formed 10 years before this 31yo whisky was even distilled. Let's hope that the Tomatin is as good as The Who!



This whisky does have a redish hue from the finishing, interestingly it doesn't say how long it has been finished in the rioja cask. This also is part of Douglas Laings Platinum collection which is suppossed to be reserved for their very best casks, I am a little sceptical as if it was that good why did it need finished? Will taste with an open mind though - it is also at a decent strength of 55.% so that should help.



Nose: Rich, sweet creamy with summer fruits and a hint of toffee.



Taste: alcohol initially prickles - then you get well not much! But in a good way sort of nothing jumps out at you. You know it whisky and its rich and warming and bit fruity. Water brings out more woody notes and a little bit of mustyness



Finish: you get more of the winey notes coming through in the finish almost like a fruit bubble gum



Comment: overall a decent enough whisky - nothing tastes bad about it just think that the Rioja cask has maybe just dulled everything down a little to much without adding a huge deal.



Score 83/100

Brora Old Malt Cask 1981 - 21 year Old

Enough of this foriegn malarky thought that I had best bring us back to Scotland with a wee dram of Brora This is an Old Malt Cask bottling from 1981 that was bottled in 2002. Bottled at the usual Douglas Laing 50% and the label states that it is from a sherry cask. This bottle was bottled for the American market.

Here goes:

Nose: Very sweet, a little perfumed chlorine, perhaps some chocolate.

Taste: Again very sweet but a light sweetness, some orangey notes and dry smokiness and a little bit spicy.

Finish: Decent length - strangely of smoky plasticene - the waxiness is the only real hint that this has seen a sherry cask - i would imagine that it is from at best a second fill sherry cask.

Comment: Pretty decent but nothing to go wild about, has a good smokiness to it but somehow appears a little flat as if something is missing - would say that selling this as a sherry cask is misleading perhaps - I have no problem with people putting refill sherry on the bottles. Overall a good dram but nothing majorly exciting, they have done better Broras.

Score: 85/100